‘All Starwood brands will continue to exist in the Indian market’

While Marriott International and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide have announced a $12.2-billion merger deal, Starwood maintains that all its brands will continue to exist, especially in the Indian market.

The deal is set to make the merged entity the world’s largest hotel company with 5,500 hotels (1.1 million rooms) worldwide.

Dilip Puri, Starwood’s Managing Director - India and Regional Vice-President - South Asia, said: “The synergies with creating the world’s largest hotel company will trickle down to India as well. As the entities are merged, customers will have more choices to redeem loyalty points and owners will also get more benefits.”

On whether brand consolidation is on the cards post the merger, Puri told BusinessLine : “All Starwood brands will exist in the Indian market. The two company’s brands will complement each other as well.”

“As our collective presence expands, the biggest benefit will be to our loyalty programme customers, apart from the increase in topline revenues and more efficiency due to enhanced margins,” he added.

Marriott Rewards has 54 million members worldwide while Starwood’s loyalty programme has 21 million members.

Globally, Starwood operates 10 brands — Westin, Sheraton, Le Meridien, The Luxury Collection, Aloft, Four Points by Sheraton, St Regis, W, Element and The Tribute Portfolio. Of these, seven are already operational in India. ‘W’ is set to launch in Goa in summer 2016.

In an interaction with BusinessLine in September, Puri had said the group was keen to bring its upscale brand Tribute Portfolio to India by next year.

On whether the merger would put on hold the plans to bring in new brands, he said, “The plans to introduce new brands to India will not be put on hold. We continue to look for new opportunities. It is business as usual for us. The strategy of bringing new brands to India stays the same.”

In India, Starwood has 47 operating properties and 37 in the pipeline.

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